Hampton man seeks to win local hero contest

HAMPTON — Bringing a smile to a stranger's face is one of the highlights of Mike Parsons' day.

Kyle Stucker

HAMPTON — Bringing a smile to a stranger's face is one of the highlights of Mike Parsons' day.

Whether it be through greeting someone as part of his jobs at Kohl's and Home Depot or by enacting accessibility changes at local restaurants to help fellow residents in wheelchairs, the 33-year-old Hampton man takes significant joy in doing something for someone else.

Now, Parsons is hoping the community can do something for him. The Hampton and Exeter native, who has been in a wheelchair all of his life due to cerebral palsy, is one of a number of individuals nationwide competing for online votes to win a handicap-accessible van equipped with a wheelchair lift.

Parsons is one of the higher vote-getters thus far in the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association's "Local Hero" contest, although he's looking for more help so he can do more to help others.

Recently, Parsons was frustrated by the fact that he couldn't get in to a local Subway or a local Pizza Hut, which are two of his favorite restaurants. The entrances for these establishments posed various challenges, as Subway didn't have a ramp and Pizza Hut's front door wasn't operable for someone like Parsons, whose right-side immobility made it impossible for him to use his left hand to simultaneously propel his manual wheelchair and hold the front door open in order to get inside.

After several e-mail exchanges with those businesses, various changes were made to correct the issues, and now Parsons and others are no longer inadvertently prevented from enjoying the restaurants.

"It feels good," Parsons said with a smile about the accomplishments.

Ginger Parsons, Mike's mother, said Mike's outgoing "personality" and his level of dedication to others are the things that endear people to her son. She said his love of community service and advocating on behalf of Seacoast residents in wheelchairs is why she believes Mike deserves to win the contest, which allows anyone to vote once per day per e-mail address until May 9, after which NMEDA will award a handful of vans as part of National Mobility Awareness Month.

Ginger Parsons said Mike would be significantly more independent if he had a van that allowed him to take his motorized wheelchair out in the community. He already volunteers at the library and a local nursing home in addition to working about 20 hours a week at his jobs in Portsmouth, although Ginger Parsons said added independence would allow him to be more of an advocate, give back in other ways, and enjoy parts of the community he currently can't because he doesn't have a way to transport his motorized wheelchair.

"He loves life and he loves to be around people," said Ginger Parsons, whose son also competes in the Special Olympics, is an avid Boston Red Sox fan, and loves going to the free outdoor summer concerts at Hampton Beach. "He's limited with transportation. We have to lift him out of the wheelchair and into the car when we go out, and we have to put the wheelchair in the back. If we had a van with a lift, he could go out by himself. We're trying to give him more independence and get him out of the house more so he can do more of what he loves."

Mary Jo Benosky, Mike Parsons' service coordinator at One Sky Community Services, which helps coordinate transportation and other services through Easter Seals, said more independence would also help him make other impacts on the community.

Benosky said Parsons has helped serve as an "inspiration" for a close friend of his who recently developed an illness that affected the use of his legs.

That friend must now use a wheelchair, and Parsons has helped this individual adjust to that lifestyle change and understand that the wheelchair doesn't stop him from being who he is, according to Benosky. Benosky said Parsons could be even more of a positive impact on the community in this and other ways if he won the contest.

The state doesn't provide assistance for purchasing vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts, and the Parsons can't afford to purchase a van on their own because Ginger and her husband are on a fixed retirement income while supporting a young family member.

More information about Parsons and information about how to vote for him can be found on his contest page at www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/michael-parsons-hampton-nh.

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